Gerbera plant named ‘Garvalerie Improved’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Gerbera  plant named ‘Garvalerie Improved’, characterized by its compact, broadly upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; numerous narrowly obovate leaves per plant, dense and bushy appearance; numerous inflorescences with narrowly oblanceolate white to light pink-colored ray florets; upright and strong scapes; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Gerbera hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘GARVALERIE IMPROVED’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant, botanically known as Gerbera hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Garvalerie Improved’.

The new Gerbera plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact container Gerbera plants with numerous inflorescences, good garden performance, frost tolerance and attractive inflorescence coloration.

The new Gerbera plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Gerbera hybrida ‘Garvalerie’, not patented. The new Gerbera plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within a population of plants of ‘Garvalerie’ in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands in March, 2010.

Asexual reproduction of the new Gerbera plant by cuttings and by tissue culture in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands since September, 2010 has shown that the unique features of this new Gerbera plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Gerbera have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Garvalerie Improved’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Garvalerie Improved’ as a new and distinct Gerbera plant:

-   -   1. Compact, broadly upright and uniformly mounding plant habit.     -   2. Numerous narrowly obovate leaves per plant, dense and bushy         appearance.     -   3. Numerous inflorescences with narrowly oblanceolate white to         light pink-colored ray florets.     -   4. Upright and strong scapes.     -   5. Good garden performance; relatively tolerant to rain, wind         and low temperatures.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the parent, ‘Garvalerie’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more vigorous than plants of         ‘Garvalerie’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have larger leaves than plants of         ‘Garvalerie’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera have larger inflorescences than         plants of ‘Garvalerie’.

Plants of the new Gerbera can be compared to plants of the Gerbera hybrida ‘Garsylvana’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,442. Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of ‘Garsylvana’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera and ‘Garsylvana’ differ in leaf         shape as plants of ‘Garsylvana’ have oblong-shaped leaves.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have darker green-colored leaves         than plants of ‘Garsylvana’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera and ‘Garsylvana’ differ in ray         floret shape as plants of ‘Garsylvana’ have narrowly         elliptic-shaped ray florets.     -   4. Plants of the new Gerbera and ‘Garsylvana’ differ slightly in         ray floret color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Gerbera plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Gerbera plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Garvalerie Improved’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the late winter and early spring in 14-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in De Kwakel, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typical of commercial container Gerbera production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 10° C. to 20° C. and night temperatures ranged from 10° C. to 15° C. Rooted young tissue-cultured plants were five months old when the photograph was taken and six months old when the description was taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Gerbera hybrida ‘Garvalerie Improved’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Gerbera     hybrida ‘Garvalerie’, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer and winter.—About 2.5 to 3             weeks at temperatures of 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer and             winter.—About five to six weeks at temperatures of 20° C. to             26° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous perennials that are typically grown             as container or garden plants; compact and uniformly             mounding plant habit, broadly upright and roughly globular             in shape; numerous leaves arranged in basal rosettes and             outwardly arching; dense and bushy habit; inflorescences             held above the foliar plane on erect and strong basal             scapes; moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 19.5             cm.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of inflorescences.—About             33.4 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 43.3 cm. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 19.7 cm.         -   Width.—About 8 cm.         -   Shape.—Narrowly obovate; runcinate.         -   Apex.—Obtuse to broadly acute.         -   Base.—Acuminate.         -   Margin.—Coarsely and irregularly angulate; undulate; sinuses             divergent.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Sparsely pubescent along the midrib.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Densely tomentose; sparsely             pubescent along the midrib.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Darker than between             141A and 143A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to             138C. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Between N137A             and 147A; venation, close to 144A. Fully expanded leaves,             lower surface: Close to 191A; venation, close to 144A.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 5.8 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm.             Texture, upper surface: Sparsely pubescent. Texture, lower             surface: Moderately pubescent. Color, upper and lower             surfaces: Close to 144A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Composite inflorescence form with narrowly             oblanceolate-shaped ray florets; solitary inflorescences             borne on upright and strong scapes above the foliar plane;             ray and disc florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about three months             after planting; plants flower from late winter to late             summer in The Netherlands under outdoor nursery conditions;             plants flower year-round under greenhouse conditions.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Depending on the temperature,             inflorescences last about two to four weeks on the plant;             inflorescences not persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about 18 open and developing inflorescences per plant at one             time.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 1.7 cm. Diameter: About             2.1 cm. Shape: Flattened globular. Color: Close to 143A;             towards the apex, close to 150C.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 7.5 cm. Depth (height):             About 2.4 cm. Diameter of disc: About 2.8 cm. Receptacle             height: About 3 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 4 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to 192B.         -   Ray florets.—Orientation: About 70° from vertical. Length:             About 3.5 cm. Width: About 8 mm. Shape: Narrowly             oblanceolate. Apex: Obtuse. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous;             slightly longitudinally ridged. Number per inflorescence:             About 46 arranged in two whorls. Color: When opening, upper             surface: Close to N155B. When opening, lower surface: Close             to N155B flushed with close to 69C. Fully opened, upper             surface: Close to 69C; color does not fade with development.             Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 69A; towards the apex,             close to 63C; color does not fade with development.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Shape: Tubular. Apex: Acute. Base: Lower 80%, fused. Margin:             Entire. Length: About 1.3 cm. Width: About 3 mm. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of disc             florets per inflorescence: About 150. Color, prior to             opening: Apex: Close to 150C. Mid-section: Close to 20B.             Base: Close to 145C. Color, when opening and fully opened:             Apex: Close to NN155A. Mid-section: Close to 155A. Base:             Close to 157D.         -   Pappus.—Quantity of hairs per floret: About 50. Length:             About 6 mm. Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Soft. Color:             Close to 161B to 161C.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 60             arranged in three whorls. Length: About 1.3 cm. Width: About             2 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Narrowly acute. Base:             Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth,             glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Densely tomentose. Color,             upper surface: Close to 143B. Color, lower surface: Close to             137B to 137C.         -   Scapes.—Length: About 26.8 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm;             distally, about 4 mm. Angle: About 10° from vertical.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Densely tomentose. Color: Close             to 144A; distally, close to 143A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Quantity per floret: Two.             Filament length: About 6 mm. Filament color: Close to 155A.             Anther shape: Lanceolate. Anther length: About 5 mm. Anther             color: Close to 13A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color:             Close to 12B. Gynoecium: Quantity per floret: One. Pistil             length: About 1.4 cm. Stigma shape: Cleft. Stigma color:             Close to NN155C to NN155D. Style length: About 1.2 cm. Style             color: Close to NN155C to NN155D. Ovary color: Close to             145C.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production has not been             observed on plants of the new Gerbera. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Gerbera plants has not been observed on plants of the new Gerbera     grown under commercial production conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Gerbera have been observed to     have good garden performance and to be relatively tolerant to wind     and rain and to tolerant temperatures ranging from about −5° C. to     about 35° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Gerbera plant named ‘Garvalerie Improved’ as illustrated and described. 